Millions of dollars are
being invested by the
Zambian government
into putting freight
back onto rail.
The government took back
control of the rail system in
September 2012 after privatisation
through a 20-year concession did
not deliver the expected results.
“There was huge deterioration
in the rail infrastructure and the
general operations of the system,”
says Zambia Railways (ZamRail)
director of operations Godfrey
Chibunde.
Rail is recognised by
government as being one of the
keys to economic growth.
“Our mandate is to contribute
to lowering the cost of doing
business in Zambia by providing
an inexpensive but efficient mode
of transport,” says Chibunde.
“As management our first
priority was damage control
through the rehabilitation of the
track,” he says.
Average speeds had slowed to
20 kilometres an hour across much
of the network as the sleepers
needed replacing.
Since 2012 ZamRail has
rehabilitated hundreds of
kilometres of main line and
reconnected some of the larger
mines to the rail grid. We had the
situation where
the mines were
disconnected
from rail. They
had to rely on
road for all
inputs and
outputs,” he
says.
It is estimated
that the
rehabilitation
of the track
network will
have been completed by “end of
2015”. Freight trains will then
be able to run at 60 km/hr and
passenger at 80km/hr.
“Our focus is on asset utilisation.
The faster the train goes, the
quicker we can turn it around to
carry another load,” he says.
Chibunde is
confident that
bulk and heavy
traffic will
return to rail.
“Road has
filled a void left
by the private
rail operators
over the past
10 years. But
the mine traffic
traditionally
travelled by rail.
I believe we will get it back.”
Supporting rail is the
government’s policy to get bulk off
road and back onto rail in order to
extend the lifespan of the roads,
reduce congestion and improve
road safety.
Road haulage will, however,
continue to move freight in Zambia
alongside rail.
“The damage to the rail system
over the past nine years has been
massive. It will take time before it’s
fully operational.
“We also have to refurbish
and replenish the rolling stock
and locomotives in line with our
Business Strategic Plan,” he says.
ZamRail – and the Zambian
economy – are already seeing a
return on the investment.
Tonnages carried on rail grew
from 500 000 tons in 2012 to
740 000 tons in 2013.
The projection for 2014 is
1 000 000 tons.
INSERT & CAPTION
Our focus is on asset
utilisation. The faster the
train goes, the quicker we
can turn it around to carry
another load.
– Godfrey Chibunde
